 |
The
Husk house
(today Root). The
Osborn driveway
to the left (today
Levy). Capsite
Road coming
down from
the right.
Enlargement
|
It’s
3 a.m. School
ended yesterday
and we are off
for Beaverkill!!
It’s
a long ride
from Long Island
and years ago
Rt. 17 was just
two lanes! We
spent the summer
in the Husk
house
with no electricity
and kerosene
lamps to be
cleaned
and filled frequently.
If the boys
wanted to hear
a baseball game,
they had to
lie under the
kitchen sink
to get the radio
to work. But
it was all worth
it!
My
first year in
Beaverkill was
1921, when I was
5 weeks old and
we continued to
go up every summer
for years afterwards.
We looked forward
to seeing all
our old friends
who came up every
year or lived
there year round:
the Banks, Whitehills,
Footes, Rogers,
the Sharpless-Gordon
gang, the Osborns,
Lucy Ackerly and
the Collingwoods,
Momeyers and Howdons
(who stayed at
Trout Valley Inn).
We got our milk
from the Kinches
for 10 cents a
quart and eggs
from Jewett Allen.
George and Katie
Vernooy lived
at the Post Office,
which was first
located at the
Ackerly house
and later up at
the junction of
Elm Hollow and
Johnston Hill
Road. Bill and
Aunt Jane Morrisey,
lived up in Laraway
Hollow. She made
the best fried
chicken ever!
At least once
a summer a bunch
of us kids would
hike (and it was
a long uphill
hike!) to their
farm. They had
no children but
loved to have
us visit for a
day. Aunt Jane
would always fry
a couple of chickens
and bake a pie – delicious!
On
July 4th Mom had
a hot dog roast
for just about everybody
in the Valley. After
dark Dad would set
off fireworks over
Fred Banks’s
cow pasture. Fortunately
the cows were in
a different pasture
at night.
There
was lots of golf
for my brothers
and sister. I
was never much
of a golfer,
although I did
win one of the
women’s
tournaments because
of a whopping
handicap! As I
remember, Helen
Collingwood was
not too happy
about that. I
much preferred
the Bridge pool
to the pool down
by the golf course,
because it was
bigger and I had
friends there.
I must admit we
were all most
unhappy when A.J.
Ackerly sold that
part of his land
to the state for
a public campsite.
Gone was our private
swimming pool!
But one year later
I changed my mind
because I met
my future husband
Nick there, and
this year (2005)
we’ll
celebrate our
63rd anniversary.
We spent our honeymoon
in Buttercup Cottage
at Trout Valley
Inn.
Our
last summer at
the Husk house
was 1942. The
war and gas rationing
made it impossible
to stay there.
In 1951 my husband
and I along with
our 2 kids (at
that time) stayed
in the Gordon
house for two
weeks. My sister
Jan and her family
shared it with
us, and we had
a great time.
We went up for
quite a few summers
after that with
family and friends.
I’ll
always cherish
my memories of
Beaverkill – the
people, the Valley,
the church where
Mom played the
pump organ as
my husband did
in later years.
There’s
just no place
like it!
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